Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Tribunal WatchDisability discriminationRace discriminationSex discriminationUnfair dismissal

Tribunal watch: Unfair dismissal over social media “selfie” wearing Osama Bin Laden mask

by Stephen Simpson 16 Feb 2015
by Stephen Simpson 16 Feb 2015 A Bin Laden mask similar to the one in question. Sipa Press/REX
A Bin Laden mask similar to the one in question. Sipa Press/REX

A worker who placed on social media a “selfie” of himself wearing an Osama Bin Laden mask at work was unfairly dismissed, a tribunal has ruled. Stephen Simpson rounds up this and other employment tribunal decisions reported in the past week.

Social media

Social media: First Twitter case acts as warning for employers

Podcast: Internet and email misuse

Model policy on use of social media

Osama Bin laden facemask selfie saw Devon dairy worker unfairly sacked, tribunal rules
A tribunal has found that a dairy worker sacked after he put on a rubber Osama bin Laden facemask at work and took a “selfie” was unfairly dismissed, reports the North Devon Journal.

However, the tribunal said that his award, which would be decided at a later date, should be cut by 60% because he had contributed to his own dismissal.

Other tribunal decisions in the headlines

Disability discrimination: tribunal applies ECJ decision to define claimant’s obesity as a disability A Northern Ireland tribunal has applied the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decision in FOA, acting on behalf of Karsten Kaltoft v Billund Kommune [2015] IRLR 146 ECJ that obesity can by itself amount to a disability.

Tribunal finds Greater Manchester Police victimised black police officer, leading to fresh claims of “institutional racism” An employment tribunal has ruled that Greater Manchester Police discriminated against and victimised a black police officer by failing to investigate his complaints of racism, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Firms urged to tackle mental health discrimination after worker receives almost £40,000 payout A worker at Scotland’s national tourism board has been awarded almost £40,000 by an employment tribunal after she was sacked following a period of sick leave for depression, says the Scottish Herald.

Equality Commission “must pay £8,000 for sex discrimination” A solicitor has been awarded £8,000 after she won a sex discrimination case against her employer, the Equality Commission, according to the BBC.

Librarians “should have had warning” An employment tribunal has found that the National Library of Wales unfairly dismissed two members of staff when they should only have received a warning, reports the BBC.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Former St Neots town clerk wins claim for unfair dismissal against the town council A former town clerk has won a case for unfair dismissal against St Neots Town Council, the Hunts Post says.

Sacked town clerk heavily criticised in damning judgment – procedurally council got it wrong but report says they were right to fire him A sacked Wisbech town clerk Erbie Murat has been heavily criticised in a damning judgment by an employment tribunal where he alleged unfair dismissal against his former employers, according to the Wisbech Standard.

Stephen Simpson

Stephen Simpson is Principal HR Strategy and Practice Editor at Brightmine. His areas of responsibility include the policies and documents and law reports. After obtaining a law degree and training to be a solicitor, he moved into publishing, initially with Butterworths. He joined Brightmine in its early days in 2001.

previous post
Shared parental leave: what are the technology implications?
next post
Recruitment data: building the big picture for business

You may also like

Ethnicity and disability pay gaps: Ready to report?...

1 Jul 2025

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

HR manager with ‘messy’ work loses discrimination case

25 Jun 2025

Man who used company credit card for himself...

23 Jun 2025

AI company did not racially discriminate against Chinese...

20 Jun 2025

Barts nurse told to remove watermelon image claims...

19 Jun 2025

Date set for X’s appeal against unfair dismissal...

18 Jun 2025

WFH employee who falsified timesheets loses unfair dismissal...

16 Jun 2025

Sleeping security officer wins £20k for unfair dismissal

16 Jun 2025

EHRC defends interim update as ‘balance of clarity...

13 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+